The Return of the Spring
by PsychoInnovations
Summary: Shirou Emiya is forced into hiding, and at the begging of Rin, Zelretch sends Shirou to parts unknown. When he arrives in the new world, he is instantly taken in by a family known as the Hinamoris. Their eldest daughter faces an identity crisis, something Shirou is familiar with, and now he helps his new sister realize who she is, while protecting his family.
1. Setting the Stage

_So the winter went by, and spring comes along.__  
__Nature is in its full bloom, and there is nothing left that reminds you of the hard cold days.__  
__Stash away both what you lost and gained, for life continues on.__  
__Now then...__  
__The story that unraveled in this town has reached its conclusion.__  
__New stages and people are waiting for us..._

_Tokyo, Japan, Otherworld _

It was a crisp, spring morning in the small residential area nestled somewhere within Tokyo. The sun was peaking up on the horizon and the sound of sizzling in a fryer pan filled the air of the home. Only one soul stirred in the household of five, although the home had been only occupied by four for a long time. Clad in black sleeping pants, a white shirt, and an orange apron procured from the laundry room, a young man was cooking breakfast for his surrogate family.

Standing just over six feet, with slightly tanned skin and auburn hair, the young man tended to the sausage that was currently cooking in his frying pan. The man had much experience cooking for large groups and he hummed away while his masterpiece meal cooked. Aside from the sausage, a pan of eggs was cooking as well as a few new pastries he had picked up from a neighbor. _'Just about set.' _The young man thought to himself. As he started placing plates at the table he heard footsteps thudding against the ceiling indicating that indeed the family had awoken to the smell of his cooking. As the first person to trudge down the stairs into the dining area looked around with tired eyes, their features quickly changed.

"Shirou-nii made breakfast!" a small voice called out in excitement. Nineteen-year-old Emiya Shirou turned to see a small little figure glowing in excitement. The little girl, the youngest daughter of the family, was six-years-old, and currently making a charge for Shirou. Shirou knelt down to one knee and picked the child up and swung her in a circle to bleed off her momentum.

"Good morning to you too Ami, but what did mama and papa say about running in the house?" Shirou chastised the young girl. Ami pouted cutely causing Shirou to chuckle softly.

"Not to," she whispered softly. Shirou pulled her closer to his head.

"I can't hear you," he berated the child. A small smile appeared on the little girl's face.

"I said 'not to'," she said a bit louder. Shirou leaned in closer, and gave her a playful frown.

"You know, Ami-chan, if you don't respect your elders, Gilgamesh the Tickle Monster will attack you again, and you don't want that do you?" Shirou asked the young girl. He smiled inwardly, as he still remembered the day he made his most hated enemy into something as diminutive as the 'tickle monster'. The young girl began to squirm and giggle/scream as Shirou began wiggling his fingers.

"No onii-chan! I won't run anymore!" The small girl wailed in laughter as Shirou relentlessly tickled her sides, until he deemed she had had enough and he put her down. The young man turned back to tend to his food and he felt a tugging at his pant leg. "When are we going to eat, Shirou-nii?"

"Once your mama, papa, and sister come down here too, alright?" Shirou replied kindly.

"But I want to eat now!"

"Imouto, don't make me call Gilgamesh again…" Shirou warned. Ami's head sulked and she let go of Shirou's leg and walked over to her place at the table, waiting for her family to come down for the meal. No sooner had she done so, more footsteps greeted the ears of Ami and Shirou. "Good morning Tsumugu-san, Midori-san." The head of the family, Tsumugu Hinamori, was dressed in a blue morning robe over his long sleeved pajama shirt and pants. His wife, Midori, was wearing a similar fleeced robe over her nightgown.

"Please, Shirou-kun, no need for such formalities, especially after making us such a delicious looking meal," Midori half-scolded the young man. "We've been telling you to not use those for quite some time now too. You've been with us all summer and you still insist on them. We are family." Tsumugu nodded in agreement with his wife.

"Yes Shirou-kun! You've protected papa's little birds like they were your own family! You are the son we never had!" Shirou rubbed his neck in embarrassment, but smiled none-the-less.

"But you were the ones who opened your home to a complete stranger, and took me in without a second thought." Midori's eyes widened in shock, and at the tone of his voice.

"How could we not, we found you wandering around town covered in blood. Anyone with an ounce of humanity in them would have done the same thing." Ami looked up at her older 'brother' with wide eyes.

"Why was Shirou-nii hurt so badly?" The young girl asked him. The auburn-haired youth knelt down and patted the child on her head.

"Some bad men had attacked me after I had gotten off the train in town, and they stole everything I had except for the clothes I was wearing." Shirou's faced tightened as he lied through his teeth to the family that had welcomed him with open arms nearly five months prior without a second thought. In truth the situation had been a little more dangerous…

* * *

_Five months ago_

Shirou stood over the bodies of three Enforcers sent by the Clock Tower to round him up. The secret of his Reality Marble had been revealed when his hand had been forced by either giving up his greatest magic secret or saving a small section of a city from the a rather formidable Dead Apostle. After unleashing his Reality Marble, someone had leaked it that he possessed one.

Now for the past few weeks the Enforcers had been pursuing him relentlessly and somehow managed to get him cornered. A gust of wind picked up and another squadron of five Enforcers appeared before the young magus. Shirou traced three Black Keys within each hand and activated the Jhator Sacrament on the Keys in his left hand. Throwing the Keys with expert aim he hit two of the Enforcers and while they hissed in pain nothing happened. The five were about to rush Shirou, until they heard a noise fill the air.

Dozens of crows descended upon the area and began attacking and ripping at the flesh of the two Enforcers that had been struck with the Keys. Shirou took the distraction and threw the remaining three keys at another Enforcer, downing the woman instantly. The remaining two Enforcers swept their hands in the air and unleashed a torrent of flame toward Shirou. Reinforcing himself, the young magus dodged out of the way and called forth Kanshou and Bakuya.

Like lightning, Shirou closed the gap in between an Enforcer and himself, slashing across his enemy's chest. Shirou jumped and kicked off the falling mage's body and sprung into the air, swords raised above his head. The blades sunk deep into the other mage's shoulders and cleaved his arms clean off. Shirou stood over the two fallen Enforcers and grimaced. _'How much worse are things going to get?'_ Shirou's magical sense began to go haywire are he felt a ripple in the air and he knew what came next.

In a violent explosion of multiple colors, almost like a kaleidoscope, a large man stepped out. He wore an extravagant black cloak over dark, fine clothing and carried a cane. He was old, centuries so, with a thick grey beard to match his hair. Shirou eyed the Second Magician warily until he saw the Old Man's traveling partner. Shirou's eyes lit up slightly as he saw Rin step out as well.

"Zelretch-dono, why have you come here?" Shirou asked the Second Magician. The older man stroked his thick beard momentarily.

"Ah Emiya, I see you're strong as ever. When Rin-chan became aware of her little 'Shirou-kun's' Sealing Designation she insisted that we help you in some way. How could I possibly resist Tokiomi's daughter?" Rin's faced turned crimson at the way her mentor spoke.

"Sensei, there's no need to elaborate what I said…" Rin growled at the old man. Zelretch let out a hearty laugh.

"Ah Rin-chan lighten up. Your boyfriend is well and good and I've agreed to help him haven't I?" Rin nodded slowly.

"Wait, help me how?" Shirou asked. "You can't simply use your influence to life something like that, can you?"

"Certainly not, but I can provide you somewhere to hide away until everything blows over. You do know how the Second Magic works, do you not?"

"Yes…you mention it every time we speak. So you're going to hide me in some parallel world until the Enforcer's think I'm dead or what?" Rin stepped forward.

"Shirou, don't be rude to him! Idiot, he's going out of his way to help you, show some appreciation. I'm not any happier about this than you are." Rin grabbed ahold of Shirou's arm and led them away from her mentor. "This isn't easy for me, Shirou-kun. So wherever Kischur sends you, lay low and survive. We'll try to be in contact in a few weeks, alright?"

"Can't I at least take you with me?" Shirou grinned at his lover, who blushed profusely. _'Oh Rin, always so shy.' _

"S-stupid, don't say things like that while we're not alone. Otherwise I might just tell him to dump you there." Shirou laughed, and hugged the small mage. Rin hummed happily and returned the gesture. "Be safe, Shirou." She snared him in a kiss that lasted a few moments.

When it didn't end, the clearing of Zelretch's throat brought the couple back to reality, and Shirou rubbed the nape of his neck. "Alright, Zelretch, whenever you're ready." The Wizard Marshall nodded and help up his cane. The multicolored energy swirled about it and engulfed Shirou. In a flash he was gone.

* * *

_ 'That was nearly five months ago and I still haven't heard anything from him yet. I hope Rin's alright…' _Shirou thought sadly.

"Shirou-nii?" Ami called out to the young magus, who recomposed his glum look and smiled at the younger girl.

"Shirou, are you alright?" Midori asked him. Shirou nodded as he stood up and began to walk up the stairs.

"Tsumugu-san, could you start serving breakfast? I'm going to attempt and wake your other one up," Shirou called from the stairs. The eccentric man nodded happily before grabbing his wife and pranced into the kitchen. Shirou rolled his eyes at the scene and proceeded down the hallway until he came upon the last door on the right. He edged it open slightly, and as he suspected the small pink haired girl was still asleep in her bed. Shirou edged his way over the sleeping girl's bed and smirked evilly. Shirou quickly traced a large gong, four feet in diameter, and a five-pound mallet. Shirou swung the mallet with all his might, and it struck the gong. The sound echoed the entire home with its vibrations, and the pink-haired girl shot up in her bed, looking as if she'd seen a ghost. _'Always was a little scaredy cat.' _"Ah good morning, Amu-chan." The teen slowly turned her head to the older male and she shrieked in anger.

"S-Shirou I'm going to kill you!" the thirteen-year-old Hinamori Amu shouted at Shirou. The young man raised his arms in defense as the younger teen tried to beat him with her pillow. Amu looked at the gong and iron mallet, and rolled her eyes. "How are you going to explain that to mama and papa?" Shirou laughed and dismissed the two items and they ceased to be in a golden explosion of prana.

"I borrowed them from a friend," Shirou replied sarcastically, before pulling the sheets off the girl, who was still trying to snuggle into them. "You are taking my magecraft pretty well, though Amu."

"Well…that night that man almost broke into the house I saw you just…make swords and I don't think I've ever seen you so angry, Shirou-nii." Shirou genuinely smiled as the younger girl added the familial honorific to his name, which she had been doing more frequently as of late.

"I've told you before, Amu, nothing will happen to your family while I'm here. You know, back where I'm from, I was regarded as the greatest of heroes," Shirou teased the young girl.

"Really…?" Amu asked skeptically, "I'm sure you were, Shirou, I'm sure you were. I just wish I could be as cool as you sometimes." Shirou arched his eyebrow.

"All the kids at your middle school seem to think so. The "cool and spicy," Hinamori Amu-san. A girl that wiped out the entire football team by herself." Shirou continued. Amu looked up at him dully.

"The girl whose big brother is scaring away any guy that tries to get close to her." Amu replied unhappily. Shirou rubbed her small head affectionately.

"There was only the one guy who wouldn't get a clue," Shirou countered. A headstrong seventh grader had approached Amu at home, but she had rejected him. Instead of taking the hint, the young man attempted to forcefully escort Amu all the way to the school building to show off his new prize. Attempted. The young man was cut short as Shirou had been passing by in the home.

Quick as lightning, Shirou had appeared by Amu's side and the without missing a beat swapped her arm for his in the other child's grasp. The triumphant seventh-grader marched on until he felt his prize in tow nearly double in size. He stared in shock at Shirou and then he looked between Amu, and then Shirou, and then Amu again. When he looked back to Shirou a final time, Shirou's old guardian, Taiga Fujimura's shinai had snaked its way into his hands. The young lad quickly fled from the duo.

"Well yeah, but, now any other guy is afraid to approach me," Amu moaned pitifully. "Stupid Shirou-nii, scaring away all the boys." Shirou pulled his younger "sister" into a protective hug, and smiled down at her.

"Well what about this prince you've been telling me about. Surely a prince wouldn't be afraid of me," he teased Amu. The pink-haired girl's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and she pushed away from Shirou's form.

"T-the prince? He'd never go for a girl like me. I don't even know who I am anymore, Shirou…I put on this façade for mama and papa and all the kids at school, and look where it's gotten me. Most of the kids either avoid me or worship me as some kind of untouchable girl. I don't want that. I just want to be normal."

"Amu-chan, you are normal. You just need to open up more to your classmates. Make them see you're not only the 'cool and spicy' girl people make you out to be. I think though, it's time for breakfast. Your father probably finished it all knowing him." Amu giggled in agreement, and after Shirou had gotten up, she proceeded to follow him down the hall. _'Shirou-nii really is something else…he's so strong and brave, but he knows how to have fun too. And ever since he started working at the school as the maintenance man, my days haven't been as bad!' _Amu thought joyfully as she followed her brother.

* * *

After the family had finished eating breakfast and preparing to go about their weekend business, Amu rushed over to Shirou, who was currently attempting to fix an old printer that Midori could use for her articles.

"Shirou! Can you take me into town later today so I can get some new outfits for school, since break ends and school starts on Monday?" Shirou looked up from his current task and wiped his forehead. Ever since Shirou had managed to save enough money from his job and decided to purchase a motorbike, a 1996 BMW K1100, Amu had been begging her parents to allow Shirou to take her on her shopping sprees, since the family's one other vehicle was primarily used by Tsumugu to travel to and from his various photo shoots.

"Well, as much as I want to say yes, I think that decision is left up to your mother. Midori-san?" Shirou prompted the matriarch of the Hinamori family. Amu rushed over from Shirou over to in front of her mother.

"Oh please, okasan," Amu bowed in front of her mother, her head nearly touching the floor. Midori cracked a small smile, and she eyed Shirou, who was also smiling at the scene.

"Well," Midori drew out the word, causing Amu to look up in anticipation. "As long as you do what Shirou says and he promises not to drive like the devil." Shirou grinned.

"Oh Midori-san, you have too little faith in me," Shirou replied, laughing.

"Or too much, Shirou-kun," Midori laughed as well, and Amu's eyes lit up in glee.

"Oh thank you, okasan!" She grabbed her mother in a large hug and then ran over to Shirou, and began trying to pull him up and to the door. "C'mon Shirou, there's only eleven more hours until the stores close. Hurry up!" Shirou got up slowly and allowed himself to be drug to the door.

"We probably won't be home for dinner, Midori-san, I'll make sure she gets fed." Midori nodded, and Amu pushed Shirou out the door, and he let out an 'oof' as he stumbled. Midori shook her head, laughing, and resumed her work.

* * *

As Shirou steered his motorbike through traffic and made his way into the shopping districts of Tokyo, he looked back toward Amu, who was busy taking in all the sights. It was rare for her to ever head this far into the city. Shirou made it more often than not because he also served as an independent repairman when the school was shut down for breaks or summer recesses.

"Shirou-nii, I want to go there first!" Amu shouted to Shirou, while pointing at a large building a few blocks down. Shirou nodded and steered the motorbike down the smaller street way. After parking within a small lot, he dismounted the bike and helped the younger girl off. Amu, who was dressed in white collared jacket with black lines forming a cross on the front, a black skirt with red leggings beneath, and a plaid garment covering her skirt, dismounted the motorbike and started heading off to the nearest store. Shirou had decided to go with a white casual vest over a plain gray shirt, and darker blue jeans.

As the two headed into the store, Shirou saw Amu's eyes light up in excitement as she fawned over some new item that was popular for young girls her age. _'It amazes me how she can become someone totally different during school, and even around the house.'_ Shirou mused. The elder Hinamori daughter had always put up a front of being kind of a 'punk' style teen. Shirou partly blamed it on Midori's fashion sense, but also because Amu had just never really opened up to anyone. He never really saw the pink-haired girl ever hanging with many friends, and she never had really even paid him much mind until the incident involving the burglar a month's time after he had arrived into this world.

"Amu-chan, don't spend all your allowance on things you don't need," Shirou warned her, as he saw her coming back to him with a substantial amount of clothing in her arms.

"But Shirou, I want to look my best for when school starts again!" The girl argued.

"Don't you have mandatory uniforms anyway?" Shirou asked the girl, which put an end to her tirade. "Except, your mother seemed to find a way around that too." Shirou chuckled referring to the alterations Midori had made to Amu's uniform. The young girl nodded, laughing as well. As Shirou laughed, she looked up at her big brother and hummed happily. _'Shirou-nii is always so nice and caring for our family. I wonder if his family ever misses him?' _Shirou noticed the young girl staring up at him. "Imouto, what's wrong?"

"Ah, I was just wondering, do you ever miss your family back home, Shirou?" The young magus stiffened slightly, and then smiled, albeit pained.

"Amu-chan, my family died thirteen years ago in a great fire." Amu's eyes widened and she dropped the clothing in her hands in shock. Shirou bent down to pick them up, and saw the girl was close to tears. "Don't cry for me."

"B-but, your whole family? Who raised you then?" Amu asked quietly.

"A man came, he found me, somehow he picked me out of all the dead and he saved me that day. But he too passed away, but I was also raised by his longtime friend, but sometimes it was the other way around with her." That caused Amu to laugh slightly. "I had a step-sister as well, but she was…well she's not with us anymore either."

"Shirou-nii…" The pink-haired girl whispered quietly. Shirou put his hand on her shoulder.

"Imouto, you and your family are my family now too. I was lost in a new place and your mama and papa invited me into your home without a second word. Granted Tsumugu-san was skeptical of 'boys coming to live with his little sparrows,' but I seemed to have won him over."

"And we're all happy that you're with us, onii-chan," Amu replied, a large smile on her face, causing Shirou to grin as well. "Now that you're holding those clothes, I can go shop for more! Be right back Shirou-nii!" Amu sprinted off into a another store, while Shirou sighed and went over to the register of the current store and paid for her clothing.

* * *

_Six hours later._

As Shirou bundled the last of Amu's shopping bags to the back of his motorbike, the young girl blushed at the sheer amount of items she had purchased, mostly on Shirou's dime.

"Shirou you're the best," Amu sung as she walked around the motorbike. The older teen shook his head and sighed.

"¥44000, how did that possibly happen…" Shirou muttered to himself, as he looked forlornly at his wallet. His yearly salary was just above ¥3.4 million, and although he was able to live comfortably on that, he still didn't realize how this little girl has suckered him out of that much money.

"Because you love me, Shirou-nii," Amu teased Shirou. The older teen chuckled.

"Apparently too much sometimes," which caused Amu to frown and punch him lightly on the arm.

"Meanie." Shirou smiled at the pink-haired teen and laughed.

"Now, now Amu-chan, if you're mean to your onii-chan, you will have to go home hungry." Amu looked up at him and stuck out her tongue. Shirou straddled his BMW and Amu hopped up on the back of it. Backing out of the parking stall, Shirou throttled the bike away from the shopping area and towards inner Tokyo.

* * *

After Shirou had forked over even more of his money so Amu could enjoy herself while downtown, the two had decided to take in a bit of the night life before they had to return home, since Amu was still underage thus bound by the city curfew. They were forced to take the metro since traffic was extremely congested. This had proven to be alright early on during the night, but now that it was nearly ten o'clock, Amu walked a bit closer to Shirou. _'Idiot, why did I take us this way? Kabukicho is dangerous this time of night for anyone.' _As the two passed through the red-light district of Tokyo, Shirou made sure to keep his eyes peeled for anything dangerous.

Amu, was trudging slowly beside Shirou's side, making sure to make herself seem small and unnoticeable to anyone. She felt a hand rest upon her shoulder as Shirou smiled briefly at her for reassurance, before he steeled his face once again, becoming the imposing big brother. As they continued to walk down the street, a few young men, around Shirou's age, were fighting. When one of the larger men was pushed he knocked into Shirou, who quickly reinforced himself, and the large man seemingly bounced off.

"Watch where you're going, punk," the large teen warned Shirou. Shirou nodded before he placed Amu in front of him and kept walking away. By now more of the teens began gathering around the large man, many of them wearing sleek leather jackets, and a few had wooden swords.

"Please forgive me, I was careless when I stepped into you." Amu looked up at Shirou, worry growing on her face, but his eyes reflected what he was thinking _'Don't move.' _"If you'll allow my sister and me to go, I need to have her home soon?"

"Or are mommy and daddy going to ground big brother for keeping sister out too late?" One of the other guys mocked, earning a few laughs from the assorted youth. Shirou shook his head.

"Oh they are quite forgiving people, but me on the other hand, not as much. Now if you are done wasting my time…" Shirou started before the larger man grabbed Shirou into a choke-hold.

"Beg for mercy, punk."

"You'll have to do a lot better than that." Reinforced, Shirou easily bucked the large man off of him, and kicked him in the solar plexus, causing the wind to rush from the man's lungs. Two of the other youth ran for Shirou, but he ducked down and rotated into a sweeping kick, knocking their legs out from under them. One man managed to get the drop on Shirou, and struck him with his wooden sword, but the thing exploded into splinters as it struck Shirou.

Amu watched on in amazement as Shirou downed the gang of young men easily. The large man recovered from the initial hit finally, and moved over to Amu, and grabbed ahold of her.

"Shirou-nii!" Amu cried out before the large man clasped his hand over her face. Shirou kicked off one of the gang members, and looked over and saw Amu in the clutches of the large man. Shirou's hand, curled in a fist, came flying back and nailed a man who was about to jump him square in the face.

"Holding a school girl hostage?" Shirou asked the large man. "I should warn you though, this still isn't going to be a fair fight. Care for an example?" Shirou traced a small red cloth into his hand behind his back and whipped it out with a showman's finesse. "Nothing up my sleeves." Shirou placed the cloth over his hand and traced a rubber ball. He applied reinforcement to the small ball, filling in the imperfections with prana, and changing its composition so the mass was tripled. "And voila!" Shirou pulled back the sheet and held in his hand the weighted ball.

"What is this, some kind of grade school magic show?" The large leader taunted Shirou. Shirou huffed in feigned annoyance.

"People these days, no appreciation for magic anymore. What's the matter, don't believe?" Shirou threw the ball toward Amu and the man, and by reflex the large man tried to stop it, allowing Amu to duck away from him and the extremely massed ball struck the leader and sent him to the ground. The gang looked between Shirou and Amu, and their fallen leader. They growled, and Shirou traced three small pellets in between the fingers of his left hand. "And for my next trick, watch as we disappear!" Shirou threw the pellets, which contained amounts of magnesium and polytetrafluoroethylene, and they exploded in a large flash of light. Shirou picked up his little sister and with his reinforced speed, dashed off into the night.

* * *

After Shirou and Amu had reached the train station, Shirou put her down and was a little winded from the nearly four mile run at top speeds. Amu was visibly shaking from moving so quickly, before she looked at him with a dead-panned look.

"Magic tricks?" was all she asked him. Shirou rubbed the nape of his neck and chuckled.

"Well, what would you have me do? Conjure up a five foot sword and threaten to end them all if we weren't allowed passage?" Amu's eyes lit up at the thought of that. "No."

"Party pooper. You never have any fun Shirou-nii," Amu teased him. Shirou just shook his head, but them his look became serious.

"Are you alright though, Amu? You're not hurt?" Amu shook her head proudly, and puffed out her chest.

"I'm tougher than you give me credit for, onii-chan. I may not be able to use magic, but I can take care of myself." Shirou ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Of course you can, imouto, you are a strong young woman. You were very brave back there. I know when I was your age; I couldn't have done that like you did."

"When you were my age, you didn't have a big brother that kept you safe either and I don't know how I didn't live without one before you Shirou-nii. You're always there when Ami or I need anything, and I-I know you'll keep us safe no matter what." Amu looked at the ground in embarrassment. She never really opened up this much to anyone, even Shirou, but her onii-chan had a way of bringing out her inner character. Shirou lifted her chin with his hand and his eyes crinkled in mirth.

"Come on, imouto, we need to get you home." Amu nodded and smiled. She grabbed Shirou by the hand and led him up the train station platform.

* * *

As Shirou rolled his motorbike into the vehicle stall on the side of the Hinamori house, he noticed that Amu had fallen asleep, arms still clasped around his waist from the ride. It was nearly eleven o'clock, and Shirou knew that the rest of the family was likely to have retired at this point. He lifted Amu into his arms and cradled her there. He walked around to back of the home, and making sure no one was looking, reinforced his legs and jumped onto her balcony.

Shirou slid the door open and placed the sleeping girl in her bed. After covering her with her sheets, he clicked off her light, and closed her door, before retiring to his own room. As Shirou left her room, Amu rolled over onto her side and sat up bed. She eyed the door tempted to go seek his advice on something that plagued her mind, but decided against it. He had run her around all day and deserved his rest.

_'Ever since I transferred from my old school to Seiyo Academy, everyone has only known this 'cool' personality that I started by mistake. Even mama and papa don't see the real me all the time, and it's only been a few months since I've even let Shirou-nii in. None of the boys in my school even want to look at me because of my personality. Just once I'd rather wear pink instead of black, be the cute, obedient girl my parents want me to be. Most of all I want to have the courage that comes with being able to do all this. Shirou-nii is courageous when he fights the bad guys, mama and papa are brave when they work. I just want to be like them…just want the courage.' _

As Amu drifted back into her slumber, a brilliant light emitted from her room, and every so quietly three distinct eggs, one red, one blue, and one green, all formed next to her sleeping form, and the night was still again.

* * *

"Amu-chan, what do you want for breakfast?" Shirou called up the stairs, as he prepared the morning meal for the bustling family. He's shift started later than either of the parental figures did, so he was usually in charge of fixing the meal for the children during the week. Amu rolled in her bed and when she cracked open her tired eyes, she saw three colored eggs in her bed next to her.

"_Eggs?!"_ she cried out in shock.

"Again?" Shirou called back up to her. "Alright, whatever you want!" Amu barely heard his voice calling as she stared at the three eggs in her bed. _'Wh-what? How is this possible? I laid eggs?' _

"Did I really make these..? Is that even possible?" Amu mused to herself quietly as she began getting ready for school.

"Oneechan it's time for breakfast!" Ami shouted into Amu's room, causing the pink-haired girl to shriek in fright. The girl nodded and packed the colored eggs away in her bag before heading down the stairs. Midori and Tsumugu had already left for their respective jobs, and Shirou, as usual, was dressed in an apron finishing the meal.

"Good morning, Amu, did you sleep well?" Shirou asked the teen. Amu nodded absentmindedly, which caused Shirou to look her over quickly, but then he grabbed her plate and put it in front of her.

"Morning, I think so," came Amu's tired reply. "What's for breakfast?" Shirou arched a brow at her.

"Eggs, like you asked for." Amu nearly did a double take at the plate in front of her, and sighed. _'What else?'_ she thought miserably. "Is everything alright, imouto?" Amu could hear the worry in his voice.

"Yes, yes Shirou-nii, just not hungry. I'm going to leave for school now. I'll see you on campus during lunch and then will you give me a ride home?"

"Of course, Amu-chan. I'll see you around eleven. Take care walking," Shirou bid his little sister farewell, before he turned back to Ami. "Alright Ami-chan, we can't let these delicious eggs go to waste now can we?"

"Oniichan can eat them, Ami is full too," the littlest Hinamori said, before letting out a small burp. Shirou chuckled before he set out to eating Amu's untouched breakfast. Looking at the clock, he put the plate in the sink for a later time.

"Alright, Ami-chan, we need to get you to school, otherwise you'll be late."

"Oniichan, why don't you work at my school too?" Shirou paused and thought about that, the Seiyo Academy expanded all the way from kindergarten until high school, albeit across multiple buildings across the district. The only real thing all the schools shared was the name and the sporting facilities located between the elementary and middle schools.

"I don't really know. The junior high needed me the most I guess, but if you want I'll visit you too someday, okay Ami?" The little girl nodded happily, before she gathered her school bag, and led Shirou out by the hand. After they were outside, Ami forced her way atop Shirou's shoulders, forcing him to carry her bag, and the duo proceeded to walk to Ami's school. _'I hope everything is alright with Amu.' _Shirou thought passively, before he crossed the street. He'd ask her during his lunch break. With that in mind, he proceeded to carry his little sister to her kindergarten.

* * *

**Hey there, I've just been reading the Shugo Chara manga recently and thought this would be a fun little venture to undertake in my spare time. Shirou has so much potential to be an outstanding big brother and I hop I portrayed that well enough. **

**For my Fate fans, this Shirou followed the UBW and entered into a relationship with Rin. The timeline followed a mix of HF with UBW, because Zelretch is pretty much the standard way in my stories of how Shirou gets zipped around the multiverse. I don't know if this relationship will change or not since it's been five months without a word from Zelretch or Rin. But they will wind up in the Shugo Chara world at some point. **

**This story is definitely going to be a bit more slice-of-life mixed in with the action of Shugo Chara. Shirou probably won't reach his full fighting potential because Shugo Chara by definition is a magical girl series and so far a lot of the enemies aren't really killed, just returned to normal. I'll still give Shirou a chance to shine every once in a while, especially in the later chapters when Shugo Chara picks up a lot.**

**For readers in general, the ages of pretty much everyone has been bumped up three years, however timeline is still the same. Its kind of odd that one of the main protagonists is only ten, and writing Amu at thirteen seems a bit easier than ten. So instead of fourth grade starting out she's simply a sixth grader, since both elementary and middle schools consist of three levels it all works out. Plus it allows me to put Ikuto at the same age as Shirou, for a bit more interaction. **

**Anyway I'd also just like to state, very doubtful Shirou will receive a Guardian, being almost twenty by now, and perhaps for the fact he's realized who he wants to be already. However he works along side of Tsukasa Amakawa, who seems to serve as a pseudo-janitor of the Planetarium, so more will be explored with that man since the manga doesn't do a whole lot with him. **

**Thanks for checking this out, and if you enjoyed it drop a review, if you didn't, let me know why. Thanks a bunch!**

**6/7/2013 Edit: Reader caught that I had listed Nagato as Rin's father, not Tokiomi, which has been corrected. Thanks!**


	2. The First Guardian

**Hello dear readers. I am back with another chapter, and I must say it's pretty fun writing this story. A bit more slice-of-life elements to explore who Shirou could potentially become is both a challenge and a fun time all at once. I don't want to dis or bash on fellow authors who have portrayed Shirou, but in many stories, including my own Branded and Fated Death, Shirou is never really given a chance to grow as an actual person. Partially because Shirou is an extremely awesome Magus Killer with unlimited blades, who would write him as an action hero? **

**Anyway, this chapter introduces you to a bit more of Shirou's background and life in the Shugo Chara world. Storywise, this mainly follows the first chapter of the manga with a bit of extra stuff from the next. **

**Fate readers, I do bring in a few Noble Phantasms, but I really won't get into the mechanics of if they work like that or they don't. I know my stuff (I hope :D) and would rather no debate if Shirou can use this or that, etc, since this story is mainly focusing on the more real life of Shirou and his family, vs the fighting dynamics and so on. **

**That's all from me until the end, so please enjoy the second chapter of The Return of the Spring!**

**PS: Note at the very end. Even if you skip all my other notes, read that one. Thanks!**

* * *

After Shirou had dropped his little imouto off at her kindergarten class he began the trek back to his home. Normally he wouldn't have minded walking to his job from Ami's school, but he had to arrive earlier than usual to help set up the auditorium for a school wide presentation being given by the middle school's student council. The walk from the school to the home was roughly at ten minutes, but reinforcing himself slightly, he made the run in less than four.

The young magus arrived at the home and dashed inside to grab the keys to his motorbike. He noticed the TV had still been left on, and he rolled his eyes as he saw the large fortune-telling woman, whose name escaped him, prancing about predicating the future. _'Yea right.'_ Shirou thought dismissively as he scooped up the keys and exited the house. He walked over into the vehicle stall and mounted his motorbike. After he backed into the street, he shifted into first gear and accelerated away from the home.

* * *

_'I should have told Shirou-nii about these before I left, but I can't now anymore.' _Amu thought sadly as she walked up the walk toward her large school building. _'I prayed for courage the night before, and I wind up with these eggs? Are they connected at all? Well if I want to learn anything, I'll have to keep them safe!' _Amu nodded in affirmation of her plan, but she overheard two girls squealing about something.

"Look, look! Over there!" the first girl cried happily as she pointed in front of her. The girl next to her nodded vigorously with as much energy as the first, and screamed with glee.

"I know, I see him, it's the Prince!" Amu slowly walked up toward the other schoolgirls and saw who they were referring too. A blonde boy, not much taller than Amu, was walking between the crowds of students followed by a tall girl with deep violet hair. Both were wearing a cloak of that represented the Guardians, the school's student government, with the boy wearing a blue version and the girl wearing a red version. "It's the Guardians!"

_'The Guardians…the Prince works as the King's Chair of the Guardians, if I remember right. He looks so cool today too~' _Amu thought to herself. She was blushing slightly at the thought of the Prince, until the two girls noticed her behind them.

"Don't you think the Prince is so amazing, Hinamori-san?" the first girl asked Amu, the question catching her off-guard.

"Huh? Me?" The girls nodded. "N-no not in particular; why should I like some stuffy Guardian?" The two girls' eyes became as wide as dinner plates.

"W-Whoa – Hinamori-san is super mature!" the first girl gushed. Amu held back from telling them it was a total lie. _'Ugh! Why can't I be more straightforward with these girls?' _

"She's so cool and spicy!" The other girl shouted out, Amu put her hand to the back of her head. _'Those two words…follow me wherever I go!' _The two girls gushed over Amu's supposed 'coolness' before they began to gush over the Guardians. "Isn't it so great that they've made it okay to be late to school and we can leave early. I mean like talking with one of them is like talking to a teacher!"

"Right? After school they go to their 'Royal Garden' and have tea parties! Yes and the best part is…" The other girl cheered loudly.

"They have those royal capes!" The girls squealed together. The first girl, one with glasses, looked over to Amu.

"Come on, Hinamori-san, even being around them just makes you feel special, right?" Amu hesitated with an answer before the other girl chimed in.

"That would look really good on you too, Hinamori-san! Everyone is saying you're next in line to be the Queen's Chair!" _'Another rumor?' _Amu paled slightly. The rumors had gotten increasingly more annoying as the school year progressed. _'Please, they wouldn't let me on the Guardians if I begged…but is that what I want?' _

"What an unfortunate rumor," a snarky voice called out to the three girls. A rather pretty looking girl, about the same height as Amu, strolled over to the trio. She had peach-colored skin, her hair was auburn, just like Shirou's, Amu noted. It was short and curled, and she had piercing green eyes that had a look of competition emblazed in them. "Of course, rumors are usually wrong."

"I am Yamabuki Saaya. I am an excellent student and am beyond gorgeous! My family also makes very generous donations to this academy, so it is extremely likely that I will be the next Queen's Chair, and not you Hinamori Amu!" The two girls that had been talking with Amu cheered unenthusiastically and clapped slightly. Saaya let out a growl of annoyance when she realized that Amu wasn't even paying attention to her anymore.

_'What a bothersome girl…she just transferred at the half-year mark, now look at her! She has the whole school eating out of the palm of her hand, and what does she do? Nothing, just like always. She barely tries for the attention, and yet has them all fawning over her, just like the Guardians!' _Saaya was seething by now. One girl approached her quietly, and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Yamabuki-san, are you alright?" The girl with classes asked quietly. Saaya whipped around in anger, glaring at the other girl. She just screeched and stalked off with two other girls quickly in tow, trying to calm her down. Amu however was staring at the Prince with goo-goo eyes. _'Ah the prince…his face is so heart-rending and gorgeous...oh what I'd give to have him hold me and have us dance and twirl. His hair is so beautiful…and that cape…I could just…__**never say that in my life! **__Get a grip Hinamori, the school's prince would never be attracted to a girl like you! Never…huh?' _As Amu's inner tirade commenced she felt movement coming from her bag._ 'Was that the egg?' _Amu turned to quickly head into the school building, but felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Uhm…I uh…" the prince began, fumbling with his words. A blush tinted the girl's face nicely as she turned around to see her crush was the one that had grabbed her. "Could it be that you…" _'Is this a dream?' _Amu thought ecstatically. Eventually people started to notice this action and both Amu and the prince were drug back into reality. As people began whispering about what was happening between the two, Amu began panicking. As if in slow motion, her face became hardened and she slapped the prince's hand away. Everyone's eyes got wide and they awed as the scene unfolded.

"I don't have any business with you, so don't grab me like that…little prince," Amu said, a bit more harshly than she had wanted to. A few people let out gasps at the display, and one girl got up and shouted 'Who does she think she is?' in the background.

"I-I'm sorry," the blonde boy replied, shocked at the reaction he had gotten from the pink-haired girl. Amu lowered her head so no one could see the blush on her face. She moved through the crowd as calmly as she could, until she rounded the corner out of sight. _'I did it again! Baka baka! That was my 'first contact' dream come true and I totally blew it! He must think I'm the biggest loser in the whole world!'_

* * *

As the pink-haired girl, Hinamori-san ran away, the Prince looked over to his fellow Guardian, the purple-haired girl. "Do you think that girl…?" The girl nodded her head.

"Yea…probably. I think she already has the eggs. That girl, Hinamori Amu, has a character."

* * *

As the first bell rung for the morning classes to begin, Shirou drove his motorbike up the path leading toward the Seiyo Middle School. Another perk of arriving later than everyone else, as from his fellow janitorial staff, was he could drive freely on the campus without worrying about any students.

As Shirou pulled off onto a side walkway he drove to the storage area which held a few sheds for the grounds equipment to be stored in. He entered the fenced area and parked his motorbike alongside the large lawnmowers the grounds keepers would use to keep the grass looking trim. The young magus chained the bike to a sturdy fence post and exited the fenced in area before shutting the gate and locking it behind him.

Today the student council was giving a large presentation and the majority of the indoor janitorial staff, Shirou included, had been tasked with setting up for the school-wide assembly. The auditorium couldn't be used due to a play being put on by the third graders from the elementary building, so hundreds of chairs had to be set up in the gymnasium of the school instead.

As Shirou entered into the gymnasium from the outside of the school building, he could see his five co-workers, and friends, had already begun the set up. The young man dropped his beg and clasped on his tool-belt before moving to greet his co-workers.

"Good morning," Shirou greeted the five janitors. They five other men perked up from their various locations around the gym and waved.

"Ah, good morning Shirou!" All five greeted simultaneously. Shirou chuckled at the response he was greeted with. When he had first started working for the school as a repair man, the other five janitors had turned out to all be brothers. Shirou glanced at the first brother and the head of the janitorial and grounds keeping sections of the school. Tanaka Daitaro was the eldest, a large, bear of a man with broad shoulders and he stood just over two meters tall. The foreman of the project walked over to Shirou and clasped him on the back "You can start by helping Daishiro move in the rollers of chairs. Shirou nodded.

The young magus moved swiftly to assist his co-worker in rolling in the large racks that housed the dozens of chairs. He saw the fourth brother struggling to move the massive contraption all by himself. Reinforcing his arms and torso, Shirou rushed over and push onto the side as the large roller was about to tip onto its side. Daishiro looked over and grinned as he saw Shirou supporting the side.

"Oh thank you, Shirou, I was sure I could have managed that," the fourth brother said, and Shirou rolled his eyes.

"The last time you said that, the entire section of risers toppled down into the football fields and nearly wiped out the team!" Daishiro grinned cheekily.

"Lucky for us, you were there to grab onto the cart at the last minute. I don't know how you did that kid, but you saved those kids." Shirou nodded. It has been easy to reinforce his body and dig in his heels. Shirou just waved it off, and the other large man arched a brow.

"Think nothing of it, besides we got work to do. This assembly starts within the hour and we've barely gotten started." The fourth brother nodded, as the cart rolled neatly into the gymnasium. Shirou looked about the large room and saw Shuzo, who was Daishiro's twin only born ten minutes before, tacking up a large banner. Shuzo was actually the smallest of the brothers. He was extremely built, but lanky. Only about as tall as Shirou, while the other brothers looked like cookie-cutter duplicates of one another, despite their age differences.

On the far side of the gym, the youngest and second-son were hauling in the platform the student council would be using to be elevated above the mass of students. Daigoro, the youngest at twenty-seven, was laughing about something with his older brother, Daijiro, who was thirty-nine. It surprised Shirou that such a large family worked together in one place, but it also made him feel honored that when he had first started working there, the five had included him as one of their own.

"Oi, Daitaro-buchō," Shirou called out to the foreman. "Do you have the sound system in place yet?" The oldest man turned and looked around.

"No, but let my younger brother take care of setting up those chairs. Go unload the standing speakers from outside the door, they are in the hallway. If you need any help just holler." Shirou nodded to his boss and left Daishiro to his duties.

Just like the eldest Tanaka had said, there were the four large speakers sitting in the hallway. _'Akasha, these things must weigh at least ninety-five kilos a piece.' _Shirou thought to himself as he looked around for something to haul them in on. Shirou found a large dolly in one of the off supply closets and hauled it over to the speakers. The young man edged up against one of the speakers and heaved. After struggling for a few moments the magus finally managed to get the speaker onto the cart. _'One down, only three to go.' _Shirou groaned. Looking around quickly and making sure the gym door was closed. Shirou reinforced his body slightly, and picked up two speakers with ease. At maximum reinforcement, Shirou could lift just shy of 1020 kilograms, nearly one ton. As Shirou hefted the last speaker onto the cart, he rolled it back into the gymnasium.

Upon reentering the large room Shirou saw one of the student council looking around for someone to talk to, but he actually seemed intimidated by the large men thundering about the gym. The boy that had come was a bit shorter than Shirou, about seventeen centimeters. He had brown tussled hair, a style all its own, and friendly green eyes. He also wore the 'royal cape' that the student council had taken to wearing in recent months.

"Hello, do you need something?" Shirou asked the youth as he wheeled the large speakers into the gym. As Shirou unloaded the speakers as the young man walked over to him.

"Yo Emiya-shūrikō; Tadase sent me to see how things were going. I'm with the Guardians and we just want to make sure everything is going to be ready for us." Shirou saw the smug look on the seventh-grader's face. _'Kid thinks he runs the school…' _Shirou turned around before taking a deep sweeping bow.

"Oh, Souma-dono," he began sarcastically, "the preparations are being made as we speak!" The youth puffed out his chest and snorted.

"Good, make sure it's ready!" he walked out of the gym, with his ego significantly inflated. Shuzo walked over to Shirou, shaking his head.

"You know you shouldn't encourage the kid," the third-son rebuked Shirou jokingly. "His ego's already big enough being on the student council as it is." Shirou laughed.

"It'll that much better when someone finally knocks him down though," Shirou replied. The older man laughed along with him. "Now come on, can you help me set up this system; it's nearly time for the assembly." Shuzo nodded and the men started on their work.

* * *

After a little while, the entire gym had been prepped, with ten minutes to spare. Shirou and the Tanaka brothers were sitting off to the side of the gymnasium, eating a portion of their lunches and waiting for the students to start piling in.

"So, Shirou, are we grabbing drinks after the end of our shift today?" Daigoro asked the young magus. Shirou shook his head and sighed. This was probably the fifth time in the last few days he had been asked by his co-workers to go enjoy drinks with them.

"I keep telling you all, I'm only nineteen, and national age is twenty. Ask me when I'm actually twenty and we'll see," Shirou replied dryly.

"Good man!" Daijiro thundered. "Boy's got a good head on his shoulders. Though, Shirou I have to ask, a young man of your talents should be off at a university or maybe playing a sport with those athletic talents of yours; so why are you serving as a janitor at a middle school?"

"Part of it is just to the timing of my arrival here in Tokyo. I was well past any chance of taking the entrance exams to any university that would have a program I would find intriguing. I suppose the same could apply to athletics. Although in high school, I did not participate in many sports aside from archery." _'Ironic…considering the Heroic Spirit of the Grail War was an Archer too.' _"I don't see myself doing this my entire career, although there are worse ways of spending one's life."

"That is very true," Daitaro commented. "We've all grown up around the maintenance and repair world and that is why we all decided to follow our father's path. He was hired as one of the first janitors when this school opened nearly forty years ago. I was only five at the time and Daijiro was on his way. Tell us, where would you ideally see yourself in the next five to ten years?" _'Good question,' _Shirou mused.

"I don't really know, I've always had a knack with machinery, which is why I thought a job like this would suit me for the time being. However, when I was younger I always wanted to do something that helped people, you know fireman, police officer, military, and so on."

"Well what happened?" Shuzo asked. Shirou sighed and set his food down. _'The Grail War happened. Ever since that, I don't know what to believe anymore. Archer's cynicism was well placed in our ideals, and yet…he still followed them even if he regretted them later on. I know in my heart of hearts I want to help as many people as I can. I don't know maybe I got something wrong, but the thought of helping others definitely isn't wrong!' _"Emiya?" Shirou looked around and coughed.

"My family happened, not the one I have now, but my old one. My father believed in saving people and I thought of him as a super hero. He had said he was getting too old to continue and I told him I'd take his work for him. Then when I was sixteen, a few distance relatives showed up and were trying to claim an old…family heirloom." _'Good a way as any to veil the Greater Grail.' _"Anyway, my father's brother, a man who actually I looked like more than my own father, had come to claim the heirloom and do away with me, in some desperate act to try and atone for his sins. He ended up giving me an inheritance beyond my imagination, but in the end he was unable to find the heirloom, and it was eventually destroyed, to stop the feuds in the first place."

"I still don't understand how this uncle was responsible for your change of heart?" Shuzo asked Shirou.

"He was the one that showed me the down-side to my dreams. He instilled the cynicism of his years into my ideals, and made me doubt everything I stood for." Daijiro moved and stood up.

"And now, Emiya? Surely you're not going to let the talk of one distance relative to dissuade you from following the path you held so closely."

"No, the thought of helping others is definitely not wrong, but he was right, to save someone you have to not save someone else. Both he and my father said that. I know that whatever path I follow, as long as I believe it is right, then I cannot be wrong." The five brothers let out something similar to a 'here-here.'

"Spoken like a true man!" Daitaro clasped Shirou on the back. The young magus went forward from the impact of the blow. Shirou smirked and reinforced his arm and clasped the large man on his back, sending him stumbling. The four other brothers saw this and were shocked, until they all burst into laughter. Shirou and Daitaro laughed along with them, until Shirou saw the student council beginning to enter the gymnasium. "Alright men, lunch break until the beginning of the fourth period. Enjoy your breaks." Shirou nodded and the men dispersed and went about their business.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later_

"Alright, then if everyone is ready, we'll begin the elections for the third year Guardians. To start, I ask you all to fill out the fill out the school uniform survey at your leisure…" The King's Chair began. Amu stared at him with wonder in her eyes, tuning out every sound and just sat in the silence. _'The Prince…I can see him from here so clearly, he doesn't even look human. There's such a wonderful smell about him too…ack pervert!' _Amu chastised herself. _'And then when we were with one another before…I bet he hates me now.' _The young girl looked down at her lap in sadness. "Would anyone with an opinion please raise your hand?" _'I'm sorry about before…I really like you, Prince…I want to be your girlfriend.' _

_'__**So why don't you change?' **_a voice echoed in the back of Amu's mind. _**'From a disobedient girl to a girl the prince will adore. Character change!' **_Amu's eyes widened instantly, and then her cross-hairpin suddenly shifted into a small heart. _'What's going on?' _Amu thought in panic. She suddenly felt her body get up, not of her own free will, and her hand shot into the air. Everyone turned to look at her as her chair clattered to the floor.

"Yes! I'm sorry, but I really like you, my prince!" The Prince, along with everyone else, stared blankly at the pink-haired girl. _'Huh? Wh-what was that just now? A voice…in my head?' _The kids around her just kept staring at her, but the King's Chair cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself.

"We are currently in the middle of an open assembly. Please only discuss opinions dealing with the topics at hand. And also…there is someone else that I like. I am sorry." _'No…no! Why? Why did my mouth move on its own?' _Amu screamed in her mind. _'That's not who I am at all!' _The young girl bolted from the gymnasium and ran outside. _'I said that in front of everyone. And worse "there is someone else that I like." Ugh! That was so embarrassing, I just want to die!'_

* * *

_With Shirou _

As Shirou was eating lunch out on the fields, he suddenly saw Amu burst from the school's doors with tears in her eyes. She bolted down the sidewalk and Shirou threw his lunch to the wayside and bolted after her. _'What's going on here?' _Shirou panicked as he ran after his imouto.

"Amu-chan, where are you going?" Shirou called after the young girl. She didn't seem to hear him as she bolted through an alley way into another section of the suburb. Shirou reinforced his legs to a quarter of their maximum capacity and instantly picked up speed. He rounded a corner a little too fast and grabbed onto a nearby sign to swing his momentum. _'Dammit, where did she go?'_

Looking around to assure he was alone, Shirou entered the alleyway and reinforced his legs more. He squatted and then launched off. He jumped into the air, well over the rooftop of the building and then landed neatly onto the building next to him. He saw his pink-haired sister running toward a construction lot. _'Crap, too many things could happen if she doesn't look where she's going!' _Shirou took a running start and jumped toward the next roof, in a vain attempt to catch Amu.

* * *

_ 'What am I going to do? No one will look at me the same way now! I just want to crawl into a hole…' _Amu's mind screamed as she ran through town.

"Huh?" Amu let out suddenly as her body registered there was no land underneath her feet. "A _hole?!" _Amu let out a loud wail as she fell into the large pit dug by the construction crew to refill at a later date. She hit the ground with a loud thud, and the wind rushed out of her lungs. She coughed and gasped for air, trying to refill her lungs. As she wheezed she noticed she wasn't as hurt as she should have been. _'What kind of soft ground did I land on? Eeww please don't tell me it was mud…' _She held up her nose as she looked down, but it wasn't mud she landed on. Something much stranger. _'A boy?' _

"Who…? Agh, I was having such a good dream too…" the teen murmured. _'Whoa, this guy? I've seen him around before, but why is he sitting down in this hole? He couldn't possibly have been sleeping could he? He's strange…why is he just staring at me like that?' _The teen moved forward and inhaled deeply as he pressed his nose to Amu's head. The girl blushed deeply at the contact.

"H-Hey what are you doing?" she asked shyly and the teen pulled away from her and he gave her a wicked look.

"You have the smell of birth," he said softly, "do you have a character?" _'A character? Could he mean the eggs?' _Amu started panicking and she tried to get up, but the teen grabbed her and forced her into a rather uncomfortable position. "Where would you be hiding something like that?" He started to probe around the younger girl, looking for something. By this point, the young girl was feeling extremely violated and she pushed off the older teen.

"W-what do you think you're doing? Stop touching me you perv!" she cried out, her face beet red from the extensive contact from the rather good-looking teen. He pulled away from her and held something in his hand. It was one of her eggs! _'The red one, but how did he get it?' _

"Ah here we are; how did you manage to hide this from me?" the teen said, holding the egg up in front of the girl. Amu jumped toward the older teen, catching him off guard, and she tried grabbing the egg from him.

"What are you doing with that? Give it back you thief!" Amu shouted as she tried to pull the egg away from the older boy, who was just holding her by her head as she tried to swat at him.

"Hey now, calm down," he instructed, but it was lost on deaf ears. The girl kept swinging her fists at the teen, but they abruptly stopped as they heard a low rumbling above them. The two looked up into the sky and saw a large backhoe about to drop dirt on them. "We should probably move." Amu nodded wordlessly.

* * *

Shirou heard a loud scream echo from below near the construction site. Reinforcing his eyesight he saw the scene unfold. _'No!' _As Shirou stood atop the rooftops he saw a backhoe being operated and it was about to fall dump into a hole that he had heard Amu's voice come from. _'She must have fallen in!'_ Shirou reinforced his entire being to the maximum limit and took to the sky. Without missing a beat, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his hands and were reinforced with a cutting edge to slice through nearly anything. Shirou threw the twin blades toward the backhoe.

As they screamed through the sky at extreme speeds, the soul-seeking blades met back with one another and intersected right at the joint of the bucket attached to the backhoe. Shirou dismissed the two swords and leaped to the ground before taking off to ensure the safety of his sister.

* * *

Amu screamed as she saw the first rocks tumble down, and she dove to the side of the hole, knocking down the teen as well. The teen's grip on the red egg was released as the pink-haired girl slammed into him. _'No, not like this!' _Amu looked up and saw twin blurs of black and white slice through arm of the backhoe and send the appendage tumbling to the ground.

"Whoa…" the teen breathed out. The red egg fell to the ground and cracked open. Both Amu and the teen looked at it with curiosity. Within moments of the cracking the egg burst with light and a small fairy like creature was revealed. She was a small little creature with pink hair, much like Amu's, tied to the side in a pony-tail. She was dressed in a pink cheerleading outfit that had a red bandana draped over it, and atop her head sat a pink visor turned to the side. In her hair was a red heart hairclip. She batted her eyes as if she had awoken from a long nap, her pink eyes taking in her new surroundings. She instantly buzzed up toward Amu.

"Amu-cha, what are you doing here? We need to get out of here! Jump now!" _'Jump…that thing just talked…' _"Fine! Amu personality…change!" The small fairy waved the pompoms in her hands and Amu's hair clip transformed once more from the cross into a heart similar to the one the fairy wore. "Change from a girl that can't jump into one that can! Character Change! Hop!" The small fairy began circling around Amu, a trail of energy following her. "Step!" She spiraled around the girl and out of the hole as small fluffy energy wings appeared in pairs on both Amu's wrists and ankles. "Jump!"

"_Kya!" _Amu screamed in terror as she rocketed from the ground well above the _entire _construction site, almost thirty meters in the air. "Wh-what? What!? What is all of this!?" Amu soared higher into the sky as the little fairy floated next to her. "What is with these wings? I'm not ten!" The girl looked down. "Ah I'm going to die! Save me!" Then she dropped

* * *

_A few moments earlier_

Shirou rounded the corner that led onto the street that met up with the construction site. As the young magus dashed toward the hole that Amu had fallen into his magical senses began flaring up. He quickly froze and looked around. _'There shouldn't be any magecraft being performed at all in this city, or this world for that matter. What is causing this now?' _His silent question was answered as he heard a slight wailing and then a large boom.

Seconds later, none other than his little imouto rocketed out of the hole and launched into the sky at insane speeds. Shirou stood there eyeing the sky, not sure what to think. _'What the hell was that…?' _Shirou reinforced his eyesight and clear as day saw Amu floating in the sky, powered by a pair of magic wings, and next to her floated a small creature. _'A fairy…maybe a sprite? Whatever it is, I need to get higher.' _Shirou spotted the skeletal structure of a soon to be skyscraper and, already reinforced, launched himself from his spot to scale the mighty tower of girders and rebar.

If he had stayed a second longer, he would have seen a black blur dart from the hole, and launch itself on the same trajectory that the magus had just taken.

* * *

"What are you…?" Amu asked slowly as she and the little fairy girl floated above in the clouds. "How am I doing this?" The little fairy flitted around her and smiled exuberantly.

"You're able to do this because you changed into your would-be self! My name is Ran, and I'm your Guardian spirit…no Guardian Character!" The little fairy beamed happily and Amu smiled wearily. _'Guardian Character…?' _"Now how about we get down from here?" Amu nodded hastily.

Ran smiled again and directed downward and the two began to descend, and they landed on the top of the incomplete skyscraper. As the two landed, Amu's hairclip returned to normal and the chibi-wings disappeared from her wrists and ankles. She heard a small shuffled behind her and turned around. Amu squeaked when she saw the teen from before centimeters away from her face. However he had cat ears and a long tail. He moved swiftly toward the girl.

"Now, now, watch your step." The cat-teen looked over toward the edge. "So then…this is where the smell of birth was coming from?" He indicated by looked at Ran.

"Y-you again? What's with those cat ears? Are you doing some kind of cosplay?" The teen arched a brow at the younger girl. Ran moved in between the cat-teen and Amu protectively.

"Be careful Amu-chan, that boy, he has the birth smell too!" The teen smirked slightly as a small little male fairy floated from behind his shoulder. The little Guardian Character resembled a cat with fur, ears, and a tail. He wore a sleeveless black leather shirt and a silver cross necklace with black shorts and a silver chain. The small Guardian snickered.

"Are you going to become your Character now?" the little cat asked. The teen briefly shook his head.

"No…I haven't reached my limit yet." He looked back at Amu and Ran. "You're Amu…right? I'd be careful there, watch your step." He moved to try and pull her closer to the middle of the roof, but she backed away further. "Don't resist."

"N-no leave me alone!" The young girl stepped back further and felt her balance shift as her foot found the edge. She shifted herself forward and fell into the older teen's arms. She froze in fear and blushed at the same time as the older boy moved closer to her face. "Wha…?"

"Now then…if I could just see those other eggs…" He raised his hand to start searching Amu's bag, but a loud bang on the rooftop followed by a commanding voice made them both stop in shock.

"Enkidu!" a powerful voice rang out. Seconds after the name was called out, a golden chain shot out of nowhere and wrapped itself around the teens wrist. Turning around the cat-teen was faced with a new opponent. The auburn-haired teen appeared to be his own age, and must have also been using a Character Transformation of some kind. "Let. Her. Go!"

"What a bothersome pest," the teen spat out. Amu wretched herself from the boy's grip and ran toward the newcomer.

"Shirou-nii! How did you find me?" Amu wailed to Shirou. The teen smiled slightly before yanking on the chain, causing the other boy to stumble forward.

"Amu-cha what have you gotten yourself into? I followed you after you ran away from the school, nearly crying." Amu blushed at her older brother's observations and pouted. Shirou then saw Ran floating next to her. "And who is this?" Ran actually was surprised at this.

"You can see me…but you don't have a Heart's Egg or a Guardian Character? How?" Shirou shrugged, and turned back toward the dark haired teen.

"Now, who are you and what do you want with her?" Shirou pulled the chain again, causing the teen to stumble once more. The other boy smirked.

"She does not have what I need right now. I am done and I suggest you let me go." The boy raised his other hand, and out of nowhere a massive wraith-like paw emerged from near his hand and struck the building top. Shirou planted his feet to prevent himself from falling over, but the paw managed to smash through the roof. Shirou quickly dismissed Enkidu, and the boy leaped free toward one of the support beams at the same time Shirou did.

"Shirou-nii!" Amu cried out as she barely held onto a support beam. Shirou jumped over from his beam with reinforced legs and tried grab her.

"Imouto take my hand!" Amu tried to reach for her brother, but she felt her grip slipping.

"Oniichan, help me," she begged, before her grip was completely lost. Reinforcing himself to the limit, Shirou harshly turned toward to face to cat-boy.

"Don't go anywhere, we're not done." The boy shook his head, and jumped off the building and off to the ground below. _'Damn him. Hold on Amu!' _Shirou jumped from the building and raced after Amu, until he saw it. The blonde haired class president was rushing toward the spot where Amu would impact. Shirou could increase his body mass via alteration if he needed to accelerate past Amu, but he saw the blonde boy was wearing a crown as well and holding a scepter. _'Taking the prince thing a little far?' _

As Amu wailed for dear life, she closed her eyes, knowing her journey to the ground was about to end. As she closed her eyes she saw her oniichan racing toward her from the sky, but then she impacted into something soft. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked about. She saw she was in the arms of someone.

"Shirou-nii…?" she ventured, until she saw the garb of her rescuer. Amu began to blush profusely as she saw that she was not in the arms of her older brother, but the boy she admired so much. _'The prince!' _As she was about to thank him, a large quake rocked the area and dust flew up.

After the dust has settled, Amu saw Shirou standing in a small crater caused by his landing. He looked toward the prince.

"Thank you…I'm sorry I don't know your name." Shirou greeted politely. The prince set Amu down next to him, and bowed.

"Think nothing of it, Emiya-shūrikō! I am Hotori Tadase, King's Chair of the Guardians." Shirou rubbed his head. _'What's with all the fancy titles?' _

"The president of the student council?" he ventured. The King's Chair quickly deflated at that, and suddenly a small little Guardian flitted from behind the blonde boy, and into Shirou's face.

"Watch yourself, commoner! You are in the presence of greatness!" Hotori rubbed the back of his head.

"Kiseki…" but the little fairy shook his head. Shirou smirked and grabbed the little king by his red cape and dangled him.

"I've been in the presence of kings a lot scarier than you, pipsqueak." _'I would kill for the little guy to try and stack up against Saber or Gilgamesh,' _Shirou thought, laughing internally. "Anyway…Hotori was it?" The boy snapped to attention. "Thank you for rescuing my imouto," Shirou rubbed Amu's head lovingly, but she slinked away, pushing him, "but what can you tell me about that other teen…the one with the cat ears." Tadase's eyes widened.

"Tsukuyomi Ikuto, he is trying to steal Heart Eggs to find the embryo…" Tadase replied angrily. Both Shirou and Amu looked at him before they heard a small bout of clapping coming from nearby. Shirou looked over first and saw the other boy, Ikuto, walking toward them.

"You three…what a pain. You must be the child king, and you I already had the pleasure of meeting, Hinamori-san. You, though…" he began eyeing Shirou. "I've never seen you before, and you seem to have abilities yet do not smell of birth. Who are you?" _'Characters, eggs, embryo; what are they talking about?' _Amu thought from her spot behind Shirou. "Ah Amu…I still haven't taken your other eggs. Well I'll grab them, with these hands!" Ikuto said, while two of the phantom paws appeared on his left and right. _'A giant cat's paw?' _Shirou thought.

"Stand back, imouto, I'll protect you," Shirou said reassuringly. Tadase shook his head and looked at Shirou, then to Amu. He held out his scepter.

"No, _we'll _protect you!" Tadase shouted confidently. His scepter began to glow, and Shirou smirked at the power radiating from the boy. _'Alright whatever he throws at me, I'm ready. I am the bone of my sword.' _Shirou began circulating prana within his Circuits.

"Well then boys? Try your hardest, because here I come!" Ikuto replied calmly, or as calmly as one could be attacking their enemy. The two translucent paws launched from either side of the cat-teen and rocketed toward the two grade-schoolers and the repairman. Shirou outstretched his arm and opened his hand. Tadase held his scepter above his head and whipped it toward the ground.

"Rho Aias!" Shirou bid his shield to come forth.

"Holy Crown!" Tadase shouted as the golden energy surrounded the trio forming the double shield. _'It wasn't necessary for the boy King to step in like that; the Aias has stopped things much more deadly than this cat's claws.' _Shirou thought, but he looked at Tadase's face. It was set with determination, to protect. _'I won't ruin it for him now. If he wants to save, let him.' _ The claws shattered against the shields as in an explosion of energy. When the light from the burst cleared, Ikuto was gone.

"Ah! Slippery, thieving cat!" Tadase cursed. He looked at Shirou and Amu, and then his eyes opened wider. "Ah, you're bleeding," he told Shirou. Shirou just looked at the small wound on his chest and blinked.

"So I am, but I think there are bigger things on our plate now, Hotori-san." The King's Chair looked at Shirou.

"Forgive me, Emiya-san, but I must return to the school." As Tadase began walking out of the construction lot, Amu pushed passed her older brother.

"_Wait_!" Tadase paused and turned to look at the other girl. "Why did you save me? Is that also a Guardian Character? What are they?" Tadase looked toward the ground, before he looked into her eyes.

"We'll save that discussion for later, Hinamori-san. Both you and Emiya-san with be brought up to speed, but until then, goodbye." He started walking away, and Amu, who was blushing, turned to Shirou. Upon seeing his imouto's face, he cracked a smile. Amu frowned.

"What?" She asked accusingly. Shirou chuckled before crouching to one knee and pulling her into a hug. "Thank you for saving me, Shirou." She pressed herself tightly against him. Shirou, her steadfast wall of protection.

"So…that was the prince? He's a good match, imouto." Amu pulled away from him and gave him such an incredulous look, while her face heated up and became a deep crimson.

"Sh-Shirou! Don't say things like that, he might here us!" Shirou laughed and pulled her back into the hug.

"You worry too much, Amu-chan. But I'm glad you're alright, and that he was here to help us, but we need to talk, imouto." As they ended their embrace, Shirou got up.

"About what, oniichan?" Amu looked up and asked. Shirou simply pointed toward the little cheerleader floating near her head. Ran looked around quickly.

"Who, me?"

"Yes you," Shirou responded dryly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to try and eat you or anything. You gave Amu amazing powers, and I just want to talk, but not here. We can at home." Ran nodded and beamed at the young magus.

"You betcha, Shirou-kun! I wanted to ask too, how did you Character Change without a Guardian?" Shirou looked at her curiously.

"That…requires an explanation," Shirou pieced together. The little fairy nodded happily before she rested atop Amu's head. "Imouto, are you ready to go?" Amu nodded before Shirou scooped her up, causing Ran to nearly fall off her head. "Now...you, should hold on tight."

"My name is Ran!" the little cheerleader supplied. Shirou smiled and nodded his head, before he reinforced his body. "Why should I hold on tight?"

"Trust him," Amu replied quietly, preparing for another launch. Confused, the small Chara moved onto Shirou and clasped the nape of his shirt tightly.

"Alright, but I don't understand where are we," Ran started to ask before Shirou kicked off, accelerating into the air at extreme speeds, "_going?!_" Shirou laughed in exhilaration as they rocketed into the air, toward the school. Tomorrow was going to be a very hectic day.

* * *

**Well there ya have it! Setting the stage with more characters and the plot thickens. **

**I did enjoy writing this chapter, because firstly, the Tanaka brothers. Four burly men, and one not so, are all brothers and Shirou's co-workers. A fun bit of trivia for those of you wondering, is that the Dai prefix in all of the brothers except for the third son, Shuzo, means "great" since they are all large burly men. The end of their name means their age, such as -taro meaning first. Thus First great son. Shuzo is a skinny man, thus only is named "third son". Fun stuff!**

**Hmm what else? Oh! I haven't really established a plot route yet, for a rough idea for you guys so you can at least guess what may happen. So far my plan is the manga is my baseline, while sprinkling in a few of the one-shot anime stories. There will be a few original chapter arcs, by that I mean it will be like...80% original story. Such as..*Potential spoiler***

**In chapter 14, where Ikuto takes Amu on their "date" through that abandoned amusement park...yeah that's not happening. Do not fret though! I have something much more...scrumptous in mind. hahaha! You will understand that little play on words when I come to that chapter. Just know it will involve one of Shirou's many other skills. First one to guess gets a shout-out, and probably will drop you in as a stand in character if you'd like! Except you _MikeAlek! _You know too much as my pseudo-beta...**

**Speaking of him, this guy has been a tremendous help in letting me bounce ideas off of him for the story. So round of applause and applesauce for that man. Kudos to you gent. **

**Oh yea, and for those of you who pointed out the "sub-par" potential of the overused Rin x Shirou...I agree with you. I simply have her with him since he followed UBW. He WILL be paired with a woman from Shugo Chara, and I am still trying to determine who that will be. If you have any suggestions drop em in the reviews! Oh yea also a reviewer pointed out I didn't establish a timeline very well for the events prior to this story. **

**Pretty much Shugo Chara as normal as I said above, but Fate, Shirou has been with Rin for the full three years prior and in the Clock Tower about 2.5 yrs maybe a bit more. Granted Shirou may not have acted like his UBW right away...but this is my experiment: to see if we can temper the twisted sword known as Emiya Shirou into something normal once more. **

**Yes, "we." you the viewer play as big a role as I in developing this story! **

**Anyway thanks for reading, and hopefully the next one will be out soon. **

**Now time for shameless plug: Go check out my other works if you haven't. Sounds egotistical I know, but hey writer's gotta eat...I don't get paid, but the love makes me happy. **

**IMPORTANT NOTE - Seriously read this**

**One last thing. I usually try to address this once per story to hit all of my readers. Now this isn't related toward this or any other story, but in writing in itself. From Author speaking to Reader. When you guys give me or heck, any other author, a favorite/follow and/or review you will literally make me that much more eager to write. **

**In the reviews, be they praise or critiscm, it makes me itch to write more. The compliments just inspire me to give you guys more material for the obvious reason of give an author a compliment he wants more! Heh, but even if you offer up critiscims, I still take them to heart and try to improve myself. _Fierdin, _a reader, pointed out my spelling mistakes and a few plot holes. And more of you pointed out your concern with my inital pairing. I thank you for that sincerly, and know that everything said is taken into consideration. To my long-time readers, thank you for sticking by me. For new-comers, welcome and I hope we can begin a wonderful relationship! Just buy me dinner first! And to all, thank you for reading and have an amazing rest of your day/night where ever you are. **


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